Radioactive
by ScreamScarlett
Summary: "He who fights monsters should see to it that he himself does not become a monster." — Friedrich Nietzsche. Rating may change in later chapters.
1. Let me tell you a story

**A/N: **My first Pacific Rim fiction, I haven't read the novel or the comics, just the movie so there's gonna be some inaccuracies here and there. Anyway, I wanted to be part of the fandom just because, but the main motivation being the gorgeous people in the movies. Yeah, I'm one of those girls :)! Anyway, again, lot of inaccuracies so be gentle and enjoy!

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It's a hard thing for a person to grasp; giant monsters from another dimension coming to destroy the human race. Kaiju, as they are called, had come from deep in the Pacific Ocean, a crack in the Earth that became a portal for the colossal beasts to break through and terrorize humanity.

Cities were crumbling, citizens were lashing out in fear, and military forces were barely putting a dent with their combatant weapons. It was predicted that in no time that the power of the military would not be enough to kill the Kaiju and there were frightening rumors of the higher ups risking the lives of millions to use nuclear weapons.

That's when the Jaeger Project had come in.

Jaegers, giant robots, were built for one sole purpose: fighting and killing Kaiju.

Jaegers couldn't be piloted by a single person, too much damage on the pilot that could lead to a fatality, and so the co-pilot system was established. It was a complicated mass of numbers and brainwaves, but the basic thing to drive a Jaeger was for two pilots to have a thing called Drift Compatibility. Two individuals becoming one, both forces moving in perfect synchronization, a duo that felt and knew each other to an intimate level.

The first terrorizing years of Kaiju attacks seemed to become nothing but a bad memory as hope overcame peoples hearts when they witnessed a robot coming to their rescue. Kaiju falling one-by-one as more and more Jaegers were created from all around the world to defend nations and countries from the monsters that rose in the Pacific.

But that hope didn't last...

A sudden wave of Kaiju from a higher category began to overwhelm Jaegers, the life expectancy of pilots plummeting that it was too risky for fresh graduates of the Academy to operate Jaegers. Jaegers began to drop like flies and it left cities once again at the mercy of the destructive monsters.

**-{Los Angeles Shatterdome}-**

**November 12****th****, 2022**

"That's the eighth goddamn Jaeger we've lost!"

Matador Fury had gone down in blaze of glory. Jesus DeLeon and Chalo Pena, two convicts that piloted for the chance of freedom died as their Conn-Pod was crushed by the grip of a Cat-4 Kaiju. The tables were turning against the PPDC as Kaiju began to adapt and withstand the power of the Jaeger, the fear of monsters returning in full force as more countries began to lose their pilots.

Head of the Los Angeles Shatterdome Phineas Marker furiously ran hands through his orange-blonde hair as he paced back and forth. The other occupants either stood idly waiting for orders while some looked just as irritated as Marker.

"Any word from the United Nations?" someone asked when it seemed Marker wouldn't be talking any time soon.

"As of yet, no." replied Trace Pilinkski, Marker's right hand of command.

"Jesus Christ, can't we just hurry up with the new recruits?" another person demanded, looking more and more like he was getting close to having a nervous breakdown.

"It wouldn't matter. Sending newbies out there is the same as sending lambs to the slaughter." someone huffed. "Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if the UN decided to shut down this whole place—"

"_SHUT UP_!" Marker snapped at them all. "All of you shut your pie holes and get back to work! This isn't over until we're all dead!"

Clearly dismissed, the whole group rose out of their chairs and made for the closed doors. As people piled out of the door, Marker walked over to the wide glass panel that showed the entire Shatterdome devoid of Jaegers. It was a sad sight to see a place once full of giant robotics now empty, like a gun without its clip full of bullets. Letting out a heavy sigh, the blonde bumped his head against the cool glass and closed his eyes, feeling defeat clawing its way into his body...

"Things aren't looking too well on your end, Sir."

Hearing his name, Marker turned towards the person standing by the exit. Letting a small and rare laugh escape his grizzled lips, the blonde turned to the other and offered a hand when the other man reached over for a friendly handshake.

"Mario Marquez, it's certainly been awhile." the older man greeted the new arrival.

Mario wasn't old but he wasn't young either, seeming to be in his prime. With almost black hair, tidied grey beard, and coco-colored skin the old man stilled looked the same as he did eight years ago since he and Marker first met. Thankfully, age seemed to have mellowed out the once hot-headed Mexican that was eager to take down Kaiju swimming around the tourist spots of his motherland.

An hour later, both Mario and Marker were standing before an empty Jaeger stand with hands occupied by a half-full cups of whiskey. Marker leaned against the rails of the catwalk but was careful not to lean in less he wanted to fall one-hundred-and-fifty feet to his death.

"What are you doing around here?" came the direct question after the friendly banter had been done and over with.

Mario stared at the empty stand. "You probably hadn't heard the new orders from the Marshal."

This made the blonde whip his head up, suddenly somber. "What orders?"

"With pilots getting killed left and right the Marshal's ordering every Shatterdome to get everyone available and spread out." Mario chugged the last of his drink. "He wants the northern places covered."

"Aw shit, Mario..."

"My Jaeger's getting moved to Alaska, Phin." Mario said with a low voice that Marker barely heard him. "They're taking Black Rock to the Anchorage Shatterdome because Gipsy Danger and her pilot have _retired_."

The man may be mad but Marker knew Mario would never truly hate Raleigh Becket. Poor bastard lost his brother while in the Drift and was suffering mentally from it: Ghost Drifting. Thinking his brother was still there one second and the next he realized Yancy was dead. Last thing Marker heard from the kid was that he was trying to make a life for himself by doing construction work.

"How are they doing with Black Rock? Still packing power?" the blonde asked, wanting to keep things light since all that everyone feels now a days was dark.

"Yeah, those suckers don't stand a chance with Rocky," Mario laughed suddenly, looking at Marker with mirth in his dark eyes. "Seven years and still the undefeated champion!"

_Don't jinx it_, Marker would've said, but he decided to keep quiet. His mind wandered back to the Mark I Jaeger that had been created second last next to Tango Tasmania. The thing was sleek and ominous, the very image of power and destruction molded down into an object that would be used to destroy every one of those Kaiju bastards that came swimming up to land unwelcome.

So far, Black Rock of Mexico had the highest kill count, having defeated seven Kaiju of Cat-2 and 3. Marker only hoped that the machine still had the power to keep the body count rising when in the face of Cat-4's, and he prayed that Mario wouldn't have his name engraved to the PPDC Memorial. He already had too many good people stamped on that damn wall.

"How's Vinny?" Mario blinked in surprise and turned to Marker once more.

"You haven't heart?" Marker in turn stared dumbfounded at Mario's surprised face.

"Oh God, he's dead?"

"No!" Mario waved a hand frantically to calm the panic-stricken officer. "No, dammit. He's retired. He dropped out and just left."

"What the hell?!"

"And that was four years ago!"

"Hey! I haven't actually had the time to keep in touch with all the shit going on around lately!"

Once again, Mario waved a hand at Marker in gesture for the rowdy blonde to calm himself before he blew a blood vessel. Marker already had enough temper tantrums from the UN to his rebellious teenagers back home in Arizona.

"So, who's been filling in for Vinny?"

Mario offered more whiskey to the blonde before telling him the story of how he met his new co-pilot: Maya Castillo.


	2. We moved away

**A/N: **It's been awhile but I finally updated this. I tried looking up some links that would give me info here and there and this is the best of what I could gather up. Warning, I haven't read any comic or novelization of Pacific Rim, so there's gonna be a lot of inaccuracies now and then. With that out of the way, I would also like to point out that the robot on the image is not of my work but from someone else's on DeviantArt, I take no credit for it other than it would be the awesome image I have for the original Jaeger Black Rock. Remember to review!

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It was a terrifying thing for anyone to remember K-Day. A monster of gigantic proportions rising out of the ocean to wreak havoc on an unsuspecting city. Thousands upon thousands of confused and horrified gawking bystanders ran for their lives, trying to escape the giant menace whose intent was to destroy, destroy, destroy.

I still remember that day. I was with my boyfriend inside a small bakery, picking out which sweet bread we should take home with us when the television screen hanging up from the ceiling made an emergency broadcast. At first I thought that it was a movie with great, realistic visual effects... but then military air forces whizzed over our heads towards California's direction with great haste.

A few days since the first announcement of the horrific event, the beast was taken down after the military launched a missile. Never mind the people, their priority was to kill the monster before it reached the more important places of the United States.

A few months later, another attack occurred. And thus was the beginning of a fight for survival between man and beast.

**-{Anchorage Shatterdome}-**

**November 23rd, 2022**

"Maya!"

I started when I felt two large hands settled on my shoulders but immediately relaxed when I realized who it was, my co-pilot.

_"_Mario, you idiot!" I cursed at him, slapping him on the shoulder as he came around me to sit himself in front of me. _"I swear I will throw you out of this helicopter and let you freeze to death!"_

"Speak English, we're going to be in Alaska for a long while." Mario lightly chastised me as he leaned back on his seat.

I merely gave a dismissive wave and returned my focus on the novel in my hands. It's been a few hours after we had been air-lifted away from Washington after a quick refuel and inventory run on the choppers. Black Rock had had an early pick up by the Jumphawks from the Alaskan 'Dome and was probably waiting for its pilots to arrive.

I hated the cold.

Two days without the warm sun shining down on us, two days since I last said a word to my family back in Arizona... two days since I was shipped out of Mexico and forced to move to the Northern continent. I let out a sigh and lost interest of the iPad in my hands and instead leaned back in my seat while watching snow rain down from the sky through the chopper's window.

"How long?" I asked the head technician, Pete Wayner, from beside me.

"We should be arriving at the 'Dome in less than an hour." he replied after a quick look to his watch.

I kept another sigh from escaping me, not wanting to seem like an impatient little girl while the techies and security kept themselves occupied.

I felt miserable just sitting quietly, and I knew from the amused look on Mario's face, that he knew it as well. Not so long ago, Mario had been in my place and had been an impatient asshole, but over time he started to learn a bit about self restraint. Now that I was his partner for four years, he would look at me when I was bothered and just silently laugh at the person he was once upon a time.

"You keep looking at me like that I was will hurt you," I playfully kicked his boots.

"You need to chill." he snorted at me.

I gave him a deadpan look from his poor joke.

Before he could open his mouth to say something, probably even more ridiculous, a security guard announced to the whole passengers that we were in the sight of the Shatterdome and would be disembarking a few short minutes. With that said, we all settled down and prepared our luggage and equipment.

The landing was bumpy considering the chopper had a hard time with all the wind blowing harshly in its way. The door slid open and everyone filed out, making sure to be careful with the delicate equipment tucked away safety in the heavy cases. Mario and I were last to exit the helicopter and I was immediately assaulted with the cold wind. Even with the heavy jacket wrapped around my frame, the cold still seeped and left me shivering like some nervous chihuahua.

"You would make a cute chihuahua." Mario said loudly over the howling wind.

Did I say that out loud? The grin on his face told me that much, and so I responded to his joke with a hard fist to his shoulder.

"Ay! Maya!" Mario cursed as he pulled away from me, rubbing his shoulder while shooting me a dark look.

"Shut up and lets go inside before I freeze into an ice statue!" I snapped at him before pushing my way past the taller man and made my way towards the entrance of the 'Dome.

I followed the techies inside and I couldn't help but look at the new base the Black Rock crew would be staying, and the more I looked at the Alaskan Shatterdome, the more I saw the contrast between this place at the 'Dome back in Mexico.

"It's very different from the one you know, right?"

Straightening myself to attention was an automatic reflex that developed during the time at the Academy, but my tense body soon grows lax when I see that it wasn't the Marshal or some higher up making himself known to the distracted pilot.

The man was small but still had a few inches on my petite frame, wearing a fashion I hadn't seen since before K-Day, a hipster, if I recalled correctly. With his dark hair slicked back and an easy smile on his face, the man was kind of handsome. The man also had some Asian descent from the hint of his barely squinted eyes and he looked very laid-back, I hoped I wouldn't expect any trouble from him like so many "charming" men I had worked with previously.

"Tendo Choi," he casually greeted me, and Mario (who finally caught up), with ease. "I work in the LOCCENT department."

"Mario Marquez," the older man returned the greetings with a friendly handshake before he gestured to me. "This is my co-pilot—"

"Maya Castillo." I finished for him as I took hold of Tendo's hand.

"Alright, I should help you guys get settled in then..."

"Ah, excuse me!" Pete quipped up from a little ways behind us. The bespectacled blonde was spinning around, looking frantically for something that was not in his sights. "Where's Black Rock?"

As Peter had said, Black Rock was nowhere to be seen and either this place was bigger than it looked from the outside or the people taking care of the Jaeger has run into some trouble...

"Don't worry about that, the mechanics are installing heaters within Black Rock to prevent the Jaeger from getting damaged by the cold weather." Tendo waved towards a giant closed door. "Your Jaeger was built in tropical climates and could handle weather in the Southern states. But up North it'll be a problem to fight Kaiju. One careless mistake and before you know it—_Bam!_—It's brought back in the 'Dome and a whole lot of time wasted from trying to defrost the damn thing."

"Wow," Mario murmured as he stared up at the closed door. "I hadn't thought about that..."

"Another reason to hate the cold." I added.

Pete grunted in agreement.

"So!" we all started when Tendo clapped and began walking to an elevator. "Shall we get you guys settled?"

Tendo led the way and everyone followed after the LOCCENT officer.

A few hours later I was in the mess hall with a bowl of steaming chicken noodle soup in my hands. The soup looked like crap but I've had much worse so I didn't complain.

I didn't like to complain anyway, it made me look like a helpless, whiny, vain woman trying to freeload at the excuse that I was putting my life on the line out in the ocean. I had come from a the bottom and slowly made my way up top on the world, but I wouldn't let the fame get to me. Mario hated it when pilots got over-confident, because then they would lose sight of what they were fighting for and just end up dead in a year before they made it to marker of being an experienced pilot.

That was one of the top five reasons why Jaegers were going down, or so says some Professor from an uppity college.

I look up when I felt a familiar presence coming up behind me and I scooted over to make room while Mario made himself comfortable. In his hands was a bowl of soup.

"This tastes worse than Campbell's soup." Mario muttered as he sipped at his spoon.

I held back the laugh that wanted to erupt from me and instead focused on eating while listening to the noise of people chattering. Odd as it was, it was comforting to hear people communicate and interact with one another. As a pilot I had barely blended in with normal citizens because I was too busy, either studying in the Academy or going over battle strategies that I forgot what it meant to be normal. After having killed my first Kaiju with Mario, I felt different and foreign when I was with other people, but a doctor told me it was normal; I had experienced something terrifying up close and was fighting to stay alive rather than defend a city by the beach.

It would take time for me to get used to being a helpless bystander to a fighting pilot, and yes, I would come to feel isolated in a crowd that had nothing to do with fighting Kaiju... but I was going to be alright. So I sat in the mess hall in the middle of all the noise and interaction, watching from the distance as men and women laughed and argued as they moved or sat. I had been a citizen to a soldier, and I would work on how to be from a soldier to a citizen once this was all over.

"Stop over thinking things, it makes that beautiful face of yours look hideous." Mario said out loud and I broke out of staring to slap his arm.

"Shut up." I huffed before breaking out to a laugh at the prompting smile on his face. "Ay, _Dios mio_, you make me miserable."

I could already feel that normalcy when my laughter blended in with the rest of the noise in the mess hall.


End file.
